Visual Journal Page 45: A UGA Field Trip

My second year of teaching fell during a low point in the economy, which meant a lot budget cuts in the education system. I barely had any money for supplies, my classes were over crowded, and field trips weren’t even an option. However my fellow art teacher, Morgan, and I were determined to get our students out of small town Covington, at least for one day, and we set up the next best thing, a weekend meet up and tour of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

It was a successful mini-trip, but because we had to meet in the city a lot of students didn’t make it. We ended up with a small group of around 10, and as much fun as we had, we wanted to get more students physically in an art museum. We decided we needed to find a way to get a bus full of students to visit UGA and the GA Museum of Art during the spring semester.

It all began with a lot of planning and begging to our administrators. In order to be approved for the trip we had to find a way to pay for everything ourselves. This meant both of our substitutes for the day, the cost of the bus, and any cost for the museum tour and lunch in Athens. We estimated 20 students would go, which meant a high cost per student.

After much back and forth we finally got approval if and only if we had a group of students willing and able to pay the cost. With our fingers crossed we went to our classes and presented the exciting day in Athens, touring the Georgia Museum of Art and Lamar Dodd school of art. We practically begged our students to attend and encouraged them to sign up, after all the more students who sign up the lower the cost per student.

We were both surprised to find the majority of our students expressed interest. However, I was still skeptical. A lot of student will say they are interested, but when it comes time to turn in money they suddenly have excuses for not being able to attend. I nervously awaited our payment deadline wondering if this trip would actually happen.

Apparently I had nothing to worry about.

We had over 50 student sign up for our field trip and we began scrambling, not to find money, but to find a large enough bus to carry our art enthused students from here to there. The day of the trip our huge group piled into our big yellow school bus and we set out.

Our group looked ridiculous pouring out of the bus and into the relatively small GA Museum of Art. We looked even crazier as we crowded the halls of Lamar Dodd and our tour guide attempted to yell facts all the way to the tail of students twisted around the corner. Our mass of students stopped traffic as we crossed the small streets making our way to downtown Athens.

I was convinced with such a large group someone would get lost or left behind, but all in all it was a successful day and amazing trip. I was so excited to have the chance to take as many students as we did to experience a day of art and inspiration in the small creative town I love so much!

SUPPLIES

Visual journal

Rubber Cement

Scissors

Colored pencil

White paper

Watercolor

Mod podge

Laser printed image

HOW TO

This visual journal page was created using multiple techniques. I started with the background first by painting a stripe of blue with watercolor, and blowing it to create a splatter. I did the same with green paint, allowed it to dry, and carefully cut it out. I then glued the blued splatter stripe at the top of the page to create an abstract sky, and the green at the bottom of the page to create a ground.

Once was background was set I began working on the big yellow bus. I looked up a picture online to reference and lightly sketched out the general shape. I then took my Prisma colored pencils and began colored it in. I layered multiple layers of color, always alternating between different shades of the same color to create a sense of depth. Once my bus was complete I glued it in the center of the page.

Next, I added a mod podge transfer of our group picture. Before I printed it out I opened it in Photoshop and reversed the image because a mod podge transfer creates a mirror image of the original. By reversing it before transferring it I allow it to look like the original in the end. Once my image was reversed I printed it on a laser printer and painted three coats of mod podge on top. Before the last layer dried I placed the image face down and rubbed the back with scissor handles. Once it dried to the page I wet the back with water and rubbed the paper off the back. This created a semi-transparent image.

All in all I was very pleased with the page, I loved the ghost-like quality of picture on top of the cartoon like background.

CHALLENGE

Create your own visual journal page about a field trip you took growing up or planned as an adult.

I am a wife, Mom to two pups, 6 hens, and a rooster, an artist, and art teacher. I have lived in Atlanta, GA for the past five years, and have loved every minute of city life. I hope you are able to discover some DIY how tos, visual journal tips, inspiration, and possibly a good giveaway on your visit to my blog! Thanks for stopping by!

… I encourage cyber stalking….

Sponsors

Thanks to my amazing sponsors who make my blogging life possible! If you would like to have your own advertising space on my blog feel free to email me here.

Sponsor: Great Books

Shop My Art

If you enjoy my website and all of my crafty projects, check out my etsy shop to purchase crafty gifts for your friends. family, or yourself!

Sweepstakes

A big thank you to Sweepstakes Advantage for always listing my giveaways! It's great to have help getting the word out about them!
Sweepstakes